On the heels of a wintry weather system that dropped less snow than expected in the Baltimore region Monday, a new batch of storm watches were set for Tuesday night into Wednesday, with a quarter of an inch of ice possible northwest of the city.

The system marks a wet and wintry weather pattern that began with Monday's mix of rain and snow and is expected to continue into next week, though with weather warming relative to last month's polar outbreaks, there has been more uncertainty over what precipitation to expect. More snow is possible over the weekend.

Forecasters had predicted at least several inches of snow across the Baltimore area Monday, but with temperatures hovering in the mid- to upper-30s, accumulations were limited to areas north and west of the city. There was a tight gradient between areas with little to no accumulation and those receiving significant snowfall.

Snow totals included 4.8 inches in Parkton yet only 1 inch 10 miles away in Hunt Valley in Baltimore County, and 5 inches in an area of Carroll County 9 miles northwest of Westminster, yet 2 inches a couple of miles southeast of the town, according to the National Weather Service. Traces of snow were reported in Baltimore and northern Anne Arundel County.

The locally heavy snowfall was enough to close schools in Carroll County and in the "Hereford zone" of northern Baltimore County. Harford County schools dismissed students early, while Baltimore private schools, including Boys' Latin School of Maryland, Friends School of Baltimore, Gilman School and Roland Park Country School, opened two hours late amid mostly rain.

Heavy rain fell along the I-95 corridor, with 1.34 inches measured at Baltimore-Washington International Thurgood Marshall Airport through 3 p.m. That surpassed a record of 1.3 inches of rain at BWI, set in 1939.

Beyond Tuesday and Wednesday's possible ice, forecasters are eyeing a system forecast to pass through the region Friday night into Saturday. Weather Service meteorologists said what type of precipitation might fall remains difficult to predict, with forecasting models unclear on how cold the air over the region will be.

Areas north and west of Baltimore are likely to wake up Wednesday to a layer of ice, possibly on top of an inch or two of snow and sleet, with winter storm warnings and freezing rain advisories across the region overnight.

Historic flooding and the coldest temperatures in decades made weather headlines in Baltimore in 2014. Rainfall records were set in April and August, and after a frigid winter, the summer was comfortable and fall cool. The year is expected to be the coolest and wettest here in years.